This film publicity image released by Universal Pictures shows characters Lucy, voiced by Kristen Wiig, right, and Gru, voiced by Steve Carell in "Despicable Me 2."

Written by

MICHAEL RECHTSHAFFEN
The Hollywood Reporter

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Stealing the moon can be a tough act to follow, as reformed criminal mastermind Gru and the creative team behind the $540-million-grossing 2010 smash "Despicable Me" discovered when it was time to dream up an encore.

After all, it was no mean feat to successfully juggle all that lunar lunacy with a delightful companion plot involving a trio of orphaned girls who, in turn, steal Gru's heart. While the new edition doesn't quite catch that inspired spark, there's still plenty to enjoy here courtesy of those zippy visuals and a pitch-perfect voice cast led by the innately ...